A Life Cut Short
by MrTee
Summary: What if the new Intersect is successfully brought online and Agent Casey is again ordered to terminate Chuck. What if Sarah who isn't suppose to know about the hit finds out. What would she do to keep Chuck safe?
1. Chapter 1

Sarah pressed the stop button on the camcorder. She wiped the tears from her face as she took the tape out. She walked over to her closet, grabbed a black duffle bag and opened her safe. Sarah reached into her safe took out 5 bundles of hundred dollar bills and put them inside the bag. She also grabbed a Canadian passport and walked over to her desk. She reached into the drawer and grabbed a photo of Chuck. Carefully, she cut the photo to the appropriate size, put a small dab of glue on the back and placed it on the back page of the passport.

She grabbed the lamination material with the official Canadian seal and walked over to the ironing board where the iron had already been warming. Sarah put the finishing touches on the passport and inspected it to make sure it looked official. Getting up, she also grabbed prepaid cell phone sitting on the desk and put them in the bag. She grabbed the bag from the local grocery store that contained hair dye and scissors along with the bag from the local clothing store containing a couple changes of clothes, hat and pair of gloves. Sarah grabbed a manila envelope containing a Canadian birth certificate and a certificate given to babies born abroad to US Service People showing proof of being an Natural Born US Citizen. She put everything in the bag and proceeded out the door.

* * *

Chuck was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling. Late last night the new Intersect computer was supposed to be brought online. Sometime this morning, the CIA would be conducting a field test to ensure the data it was providing was accurate before Chuck Bartowski would officially be a free man again. Sarah hadn't got her new assignment yet as of last night so he figured he had at least all day to figure out what he was going to say to her. Chuck was going over various scenarios in his head trying to figure out a way of talking Sarah to stay. He knew she couldn't chose her assignment and her next assignment would be far away. Perhaps she could request another job within the CIA that would allow her to work out of a local field office? Chuck knew Sarah was dedicated to her job and serving her Country but he held out hope that somehow over the last year that perhaps she may have let down some of her defenses.

Later that morning at the Buymore, Chuck was getting ready to go out on a Nerd Herd service call. Chuck got in the company car and proceeded to the hotel from where the service call originated. He stopped at the front desk so they could call the room. The front desk informed Chuck the client had to step away for an emergency meeting but were instructed to let Chuck into the room with instructions on what needed to be done left for Chuck on the desk.

The manager on duty escorted Chuck up into the room and let him in. Chuck walked over to the desk, expecting to see several labtops but only saw a miniDV tape with a note that had Chuck's name on it and the words, "Play Me". Chuck recognized the handwriting, it was Sarah's. He was really puzzled. Next to the tape was a set of car keys and a motel room key. Why would Sarah call into the Nerd Herd and leave him a camcorder tape? Looking around Chuck saw a camcorder connected to the hotel TV. Chuck turned on the TV and camcorder, inserted the tape and pressed play. Chuck saw Sarah appear on the TV. She looked worried and sad. Chuck sat on the bed and watched:

"Chuck, I'm sorry I'm not able to do this in person and for what I'm about to ask you to do. The new Intersect computer was brought online successfully. I have confirmed the field test completed successfully earlier this morning and the new Intersect is now considered fully operational." Sarah paused and looked down for a second and she continued. " I know how much you were looking forward to returning to a normal life." Sarah looked straight at camera. "Chuck, General Beckman had ordered Casey to terminate you." Sarah's voice cracked as she said the last sentence. Chuck was in shock. Sarah continued, "I wasn't suppose to know about it. The NSA considers you a liability without the direct supervision of the CIA/NSA and will not let you roam freely." Chucked shouted at the TV, "Sarah, you can stay here and keep an eye on me. Problem solved!"

Sarah continued, "Ellie and Devon are going to be questioned by police in regard to some patients they treated a few weeks back. It's a diversion meant to keep them away from getting home too soon. Casey will be waiting for you when you get home. It's going to be made to look like a burglary attempt." Sarah paused as she wiped a tear from her cheek. "Chuck, the only way to keep you safe and give you a shot at something that resembles a normal life is we have to fake your death. Chuck I know how much Elle, Morgan and your friends mean to you but for your safety and for their own, you must not tell them anything. They have to believe you died. The NSA will not leave any loose ends and keep surveillance on them for 6 months to a year.

On the desk you will find a set of car keys and a hotel room key. Stay in this room until 5PM. If anybody calls you, its imperative you act normal. After 5, get in your car and call the house. This next part is critical. You need to sound like your normal happy self otherwise Casey will suspect something. You will leave a message which Casey will overhear telling Ellie not to worry about dinner as your picking up some sizzling shrimp on the way home. Before you get to the restaurant, make sure the car is full of gas. You will stop at the Chinese restaurant and pick up dinner. As you get back in the car, a man in a mask will hold you up at gun point and force you to get in your car. He will have instructions on where to go. Now this next part will be unpleasant but necessary. There is another car waiting there for you and the keys are on the desk. Inside the trunk you will find a corpse of a young man. Relax Chuck, he died due to a rare but deadly heart disorder. He is virtually the same height and build as you. His body was donated to science by his family per his wishes.

Also inside the trunk you will find a Duffle bag containing clothes. You need to change out of your clothes and dress the body, including your watch. Once dressed, put the corpse in the driver's seat of your car. You will arm the CIA incinerator and place it directly underneath the driver's seat, be sure and use the gloves found in the duffle bag. You will leave in 2nd car. The explosion and subsequent fire will destroy the corpse to a point where only dental records can be used to identify the remains. Your dental records have already been altered to match. Once on the road you will proceed directly to the motel room. It's not in a nice part of town but that is on purpose. We need to make sure nobody sees you if at all possible. Once in the room, you need to cut your hair short and dye it. Be sure to use the sunglasses and hat where possible.

Everything you need should be in the bag. Inside you will find a Canadian passport and some cash that will get you by for a while. Chuck, you will need to drive into Canada." Sarah paused again, sniffled softly, wiping another tear from her cheek. She continued, "Inside the glove box, you will find a map with directions on how to get to a small town in a remote region of Saskatchewan, Canada. The locals are pretty sheltered there. As long as you don't give cause for the NSA/CIA to believe you're still alive and start an international manhunt you will be safe there.

Carina has called in a favor requesting my assistance on a major local DEA bust this evening. Once Casey figures out you're not making it home, they will contact me. I will keep them occupied. I will talk to Elle and Morgan. I have no idea what I am going to say to them. The cell phone in the bag is only to be used in the direst of circumstances and you are unable to cross into Canada. If everything goes well, you should be able to lead a normal life using another identity. It will be hard to adjust, but I know you have it in you. I know this isn't they way you imagined it.

After a year you should be able to contact your sister, Morgan and anyone else who you can trust to keep your true identity a secret. I will be long gone at that point and I'm not sure where my next assignment will take me." Sarah tried to smile, "Chuck you've made a huge difference in my life and you've restored my faith that there are still good people in this world. I will miss you dearly and will forever cherish our short time together." Tears were streaming down Sarah's face as she said, "Chuck, I love you…" Sarah leaned forward toward the camera and the picture went to snow. Chuck sat shocked trying to absorb everything he just saw.


	2. Chapter 2

Chuck was staring at the snowy television picture still trying to absorb what he just watched. He rewound the tape and watched it again several times. Although Chuck and John Casey didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things, he thought that he had at least developed a silent working respect. Sarah's last words, "I love you…" still echoed in his head. He had so many things he wanted to tell her. How ironic Chuck was seeing so clearly how much of a fool he had been. Everything he ever wanted in a woman had been in front of him the whole time but he let the little details get in the way. Now, he would not get the chance to tell Sarah that he loved her too.

Chuck silently vowed to himself that after the smoke cleared that he would find Sarah again. After all, he still has the Intersect in his head. As much as it pained him, he knew the best thing he could do for Sarah right now was keep his distance. If his fake death were somehow connected to Sarah, she would be in a great deal of trouble. Chuck could only shudder at the thought of what his life would be like had Sarah not been there with him to help him through the missions. He could not confide in his sister or his best friend so Sarah had filled that gap. She took a genuine interest in what Chuck had to say or was feeling and he would be forever grateful.

He wanted to see Ellie to explain why he's been so secretive the last few years. Chuck and his sister had always been close growing up, confiding in each other and being each other's protector. He knew it was hard for Ellie when Chuck life suddenly became more private. Ellie already had to deal with their Mother and Father leaving but through it all, the two of them got each other through. But now he was leaving. It hurt him to think of the pain he would be bringing his sister upon hearing of his death. What did bring comfort to Chuck was Devon was there and he was not leaving his sister alone. Chuck knew Ellie would be proud of him knowing the service he had been providing his Country.

Chuck also knew what allowed his sister to give him some space the last couple of years was the fact that Sarah was there and as far as Ellie was considered, Sarah was rightfully the new leading lady in his life. Chuck longed to give his sister a hug and tell her he loved her but he would return, provided everything went well and have a chance to tell his sister everything in person. Chuck for a little while kept trying to decide would Casey actually go through it. Over the last couple of years Casey had cut Chuck some slack but he was still driven by duty. He knew well of Casey's reputation and that scared him.

Chuck carefully reviewed the plan in his head. It was not only his life he was affecting but those that cared about him too if he screwed this up. He was already going to be hurting those he loved and cared about and didn't need to add to it by adding extra CIA/NSA scrutiny on top of it. At 5PM, he left as instructed. In the car he took several deep breaths and let out a deep sigh. He thought carefully about what he would say in the message he would leave. He called the house and left a message for Ellie about picking up sizzling shrimp. As Sarah said, a man in a mask forced him back into the Nerd Herder at the restaurant. The guy didn't identify himself or say much except tell Chuck the same things that Sarah had already mentioned on the tape.

When they got the 2nd car, Chuck did as Sarah instructed. He felt bad for the person and his family whose body he was about to burn. The guy looked about his age and was virtually the same height and build as Chuck. He found the duffle bag that Sarah had told him about. Chuck's jaw dropped when he saw the cash that Sarah had placed in the bag. Judging from the money he had seen on missions, he estimated there had to be at least $50K in the bag. He thought to himself that had to be her life savings. Chuck didn't know when Sarah's Dad first was imprisoned, he had buried in the back yard a bunch of money for Sarah and this was a significant portion of that. Sarah had been saving it for use when she eventually retired from the CIA.

Chuck vowed to himself that he would use as little as possible and would return every cent in person to her plus interest. Chuck and the mysterious helper finished dressing the body and armed the CIA incinerator. Chuck asked what's next and he was instructed to keep following the plan. Chuck got in the 2nd car and drove away. A few miles down the road he heard the explosion and saw the flaming in the rear view mirror light up the night sky. He headed to the motel as instructed. He stared at the telephone longing to call Sarah and his sister. He headed to the bathroom, cut his hair and flushed the cut strands down the toilet as instructed. He bleached his year blond with the provided hair dye. He sat on the bad and just let him mind wander. He was instructed to wait till past midnight before heading out.

Back at Chuck's condo Casey was waiting. Chuck should have been home an hour ago even after stopping at the restaurant. However, it's California who knows what accidents are delaying him. He headed back to his unit and initiated a trace on Chuck GPS. Casey could find no active signal. Using his computer he traced Chuck's last known location and his movement for the last 4 hours. He traced Chuck leaving the hotel where he was scheduled to work over to the restaurant. From there Casey traced him to a location out in the middle of nowhere outside the city. Casey knew something was wrong, pounded his fist on the table. He immediately called for assistance to the last known location of Chuck. Casey called Sarah and questioned her if he knew anything Chuck was up to tonight. Sarah responded shocked that Chuck had disappeared and sounded really worried as her voice cracked. She told Casey she's meet him at the last known coordinates right away.

As Casey, Sarah and various other CIA and FBI agents were onsite at the location of Chuck's disappearance trying to piece together what happened, Sarah did her best to put on a show and everyone appeared to be buying it. As far as the FBI was concerned, this was a robbery gone awry. Casey's naturally untrusting self wasn't ready to call it cut and dry but so far he had no evidence to the contrary. Sarah didn't have to hardly try to let the tears flow as she would most likely never see Chuck again. This was important for the illusion as Casey already knew Sarah had been falling for Chuck and Sarah had to sell believing Chuck was dead.

Later that evening Sarah was at Chuck's condo trying to console Ellie who had lost it. Sarah had been crying as well. In addition to the pain she had caused Chuck, she was causing the same amount of pain to Ellie and it was eating her up inside. Although Sarah didn't want to admit it, she enjoyed the conversations she had with Ellie. She secretly enjoyed being included in the family events and was honored to be asked to be a bridesmaid in Ellie and Devon's wedding. Morgan was locked inside Chuck's room and refused to come out. Devon tried his best to console his Fiance and talk Morgan out of Chuck room. Devon had to work to maintain his composure and appear to be the strong one. Over the years, he had bonded with his future brother-in-law and considered him an important part of his family. Sarah wanted to shout Chuck was ok but she couldn't. The house was bugged and they have to believe Chuck was dead as the family would be monitored for a while still. She did her best to try and comfort Ellie and they ended up comforting each other.

Later that night as midnight passed, Chuck got in the car and proceeded to head up North. Chuck had spent the last 3-4 hours worrying. Worrying about what would happen to Sarah if he was discovered alive. Worrying that he may never see her again and not being able to tell her he does love her and everything he was feeling which had suddenly become clear to him. Worrying about the pain he was putting his sister through. Worrying about his best friend Morgan. Chuck always was like a big brother to Morgan, helping him up when he fell down or got in trouble. It comforted him slightly that Sarah would be there to help her sister but the pain was still tearing him up inside. He hadn't eaten since the bowl of cereal at breakfast but he wasn't in the mood to eat anything.


	3. Chapter 3

It was past midnight and Ellie was wide awake. Her eyes were red from crying. She had her head against Devon's chest with Devon's arms wrapped tightly around her gently rocking her back and forth. Sarah had just left. Ellie had asked her to stay but she couldn't. General Beckman had been calling and paging. She promised Ellie she would be back first thing in the morning. Morgan was still locked up in Chuck's room and he hadn't come out all night. Ellie was afraid of falling asleep. Afraid she would wake up alone. Piece by piece, her family had fallen apart. First her Mom left and then her Dad. The only constant in her life before she met Devon was Chuck. Now Chuck was gone and all she had left was her Fiancé. Before Devon, friends and boyfriends came and went but Chuck was always there, always willing to drop whatever he was doing to be there for her.

When Ellie first met Devon at Stanford her defensives were at the highest. At that point it had been a year since Chuck and Ellie heard from their Father. They tried contacting him but with no success as mail came back undeliverable the last phone number was disconnected with no new forwarding number. Devon managed to break down those defenses. Things had been looking up for Ellie. She was going to be married in a few months and things were going well between Chuck and Sarah. Ellie had secretly hoped she would have a sister-in-law soon and did what she could to nudge Chuck. Chuck joked by saying things like "Yes, Mother" whenever Ellie told him to put on a different shirt, picking up flowers, etc.

Ellie just hugged Devon tighter as her mind wondered, fresh tears streaming down her face. Devon felt Ellie's grip tighten and Ellie starting to Sniff again. He gently brushed her hair away from her forehead and kissed her forehead and said, "Babe, just let it all out. I'm here." Ellie looked up into Devon's eyes and subconsciously squeaked out, "Please don't leave me too." Devon wiped the tears from her face, gently lifted her chin toward him and kissed her and said, "You're stuck with me." Devon knew the tough child hood Ellie and Chuck had. He knew how important to Ellie Chuck was. Devon had always liked Chuck and of course when Chuck was kicked out of Stanford and he had no place else to go, living with them until he got on his feet and found a place of his own wasn't a problem.

Devon initially figured Chuck would crash there a 3-6 months until he got on his feet but soon 6 months turned into a year. To be honest, initially he would have preferred some privacy with Ellie and actually broached the subject of with Ellie. After some persuasion from Ellie, he gave in and agreed Chuck could stay as long as he needed. As it turns out, Devon was happy to have Chuck around as has grown to consider Chuck family and soon it would have been official. It broke his heart what Ellie was being forced to endure yet again. Chuck had talked about moving out to give them privacy after they got married but both he and Ellie insisted that he stay. Devon had an agreement that he would just give Chuck a call whenever he wanted a private evening with Ellie at home and Chuck would just stay out late with Morgan and this arrangement worked well.

* * *

Back at the castle, Casey was already starting to pack up. He had already received his next assignment. Sarah arrived surprised to see Casey already packing. She figured she had at least enough time for faking an investigation to attend Chuck's funeral and do what she could for Ellie. Sarah asked, "What about the investigation?" Casey responded, "Out of our hands Walker, NSA is sending a cleaning crew. They will analyze the scene, confirm its Bartowski's remains and then clean up. Where have you been, the General's been trying to get a hold of you." Sarah responded, "I had talk to Chuck's sister, he deserved that much." Casey smirked and responded, "Relax Walker, I'm sure the CIA will find you another boy today to fall for and protect." Sarah glared at Casey and turned to walk away when Casey called her name. Sarah turned around and looked at Casey, with a clear look of displeasure. Casey said, "As far as CIA operatives go, you're not so bad."

Sarah's expression softened a bit. Although not exactly a compliment but coming from Casey, was about as close to one as she was going to get. Sarah although not happy with what Casey was about to do to Chuck, knew Casey was under direct orders. Sarah responded, "You're not so bad yourself either." Casey continued, "Bartowski although not the most cooperative of assets, he did provide a great service to his country." Sarah managed to crack a small smile. She nodded to Casey before walking over to the computer to talk to General Beckman. Although Casey was glad to be moving onto a more cut and dry next assignment where he wasn't babysitting, he was secretly glad that he didn't have to go through the termination order.

Sarah called the General and learned she had been reassigned as well and she was to leave first thing in the morning. Sarah tried to get the General to let her stay for at least a couple of more days but Beckman would have no part of that. General Beckman reminded her of her duties and ordered her on a plane in the morning. Sarah went back to her hotel room. Fresh tears came as would not be able to honor the promise she made to Ellie. She knew she would have to disappear from Ellie's life but had hoped she would be there for her through the funeral as she promised Chuck that she would do. She called Carina and asked for another favor. She asked her to request some extended help from Sarah on the cover DEA bust that she was suppose to be helping Carina on earlier that day. Carina was reluctant but Sarah reminded of her of the many times Sarah covered for Carina including last year when Carina wanted to spend another week in Puerto Vallarta after a major bust to play with a local hotel boy. Carina agreed and picked up the phone to her superiors to get the request into Beckman ASAP.

* * *

Chuck could barely keep his eyes opened so he pulled over at the next Interstate Rest Area. He didn't want to sleep but he was so exhausted that he fell into a fitful sleep.

**Start Dream Sequence**

Sarah straightens Chuck's bowtie in the car, and asks, "Are you ready sweetie?" Chuck just grinned and said, "With you by my side, I'm ready for anything." Sarah flashed her special smile and they kissed. Chuck got out of the car as Sarah grabbed the invitations from the glove compartment. Chuck opened the door for Sarah and offered her his hand. She accepted it and got out of the car. The pair made their way through security and on to the dance floor. As they prepared to dance Sarah said, "Ready Mr. Carmichael?" Chuck replied, "Whenever you are Mrs. Carmichael." They gracefully danced while scanning the room. Sarah was wearing a special pair of glasses that was taking video as she scanned the room. Chuck was looking around to see if he would flash on anything.

**End Dream Sequence**

* * *

The next morning Sarah knocked on Ellie's door, Devon answered. He looked like he'd been up all night. Ellie had just barely let herself fall asleep. Devon had been calling the police to find out more about what happened to Chuck and taking care of loose ends like calling the hospital to let them know he and Ellie wouldn't be there for at least a week and explain why. Sarah asked about Morgan who apparently still hadn't come out of Chuck's room. Sarah knocked on Chuck's door and there was no response. Sarah let herself in. The blinds were closed but daylight spilt in. Morgan was still covered under the blanket on Chuck's bed. Sarah felt horrible. She sat on the end of the bed as called Morgan's name. Morgan responded, still under the covers, "Sarah is that you?" Sarah responded, "Yes, we are all worried about you." Morgan just lied there under the blanket, face still covered but he started talking. "When you first walked into our store I thought you were just another pretty face, the kind that Chuck and I would never stand a chance dating."

"Then you suddenly surprised us when you showed interest in Chuck. At first I was scared of him getting hurt. Usually when pretty girls show interest in us, it's because they want or need something. In front of Chuck, I played it up, let him know he was the man because it's not every day a beautiful girl shows interest in us. I didn't want him to know I was afraid for him. Then you surprised me, you showed genuine interest in my best friend. I see the way you look at him and the way he looks at you, especially when he doesn't know anyone sees him. I was no longer afraid for him because I knew this was the real deal." Morgan's voice cracked as he continued, "Now he is gone. He's had a bum wrap his whole life. First both his parents leave him, his supposed friend getting him kicked out of Stanford and steals his girlfriend. Finally, he had something good happen in his life, you. Finally he had a chance at true happiness and its cut short.

Sarah started to say something, "Morgan…" when Morgan continued. "Let's face it, prior to your arrival it's not like Chuck and I was living life like it was meant to be lived. Honestly, I was too comfortable doing the minimum to get by. When Chuck came back, he wanted to hide from the world and I for my part regretfully helped him. I know Ellie was pushing him to make something of himself and I've always known he's had it in him. Selfishly, I admit I liked having my best friend back hanging out like we all the time like we used to. Everyone at the Buy More knows if there was one person that worked there that shouldn't, it was Chuck. But everyone, especially me was too comfortable having him act as the glue that kept things running to push him to become more." Sarah didn't know what to say, surprised by the revelation of the little man.

* * *

Chuck woke up, his body aching from the uncomfortable sleeping position he awoke in. He cleaned up briefly in the rest room. He sat in the car a good 30 minutes trying to decide if he was doing the right thing. Chuck turned on the radio and tuned to the first station he could find. The following tune was playing:

_You're in my arms  
And all the world is calm  
The music playing on for only two  
So close together  
And when I'm with you  
So close to feeling alive_

_A life goes by  
Romantic dreams will stop  
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew  
So close was waiting, waiting here with you  
And now forever I know  
All that I wanted to hold you  
So close_

_So close to reaching that famous happy end  
Almost believing this was not pretend  
And now you're beside me and look how far we've come  
So far we are so close_

_How could I face the faceless days  
If I should lose you now?_

_We're so close  
To reaching that famous happy end  
And almost believing this was not pretend  
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are  
So close  
So close  
And still so far_

* * *

The CIA cleanup crew arrived at the crime scene to begin their work. They came across a piece of car that didn't get incinerated by the blast and subsequent fire. Apparently it was thrown during the explosion. Stuck to the piece of wreckage was what appeared to be human remains. The team carefully sealed it in an evidence container for analysis.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Just answering a couple of questions from the reviews:

If a large chuck of money disappears was withdrawn from one of Sarah's accounts around the time of Chuck's death, it would be suspicious.

Since Graham's apparent death, the trio have been talking orders solely from General Beckman and we haven't seen Graham's replacement named yet so I am operating under the assumption that the CIA is funneling orders for Sarah through Beckman.

* * *

Sarah and Ellie were in Chuck's room going through his personal effects. The mood was very somber. Going through one of the boxes in Chuck's closet they found a shoe box that contained a plastic stethoscope, large plastic syringe, cloth bandages and other plastic medical toyes. Ellie picked up the stethoscope and held it to her chest. She smiled briefly before fresh tears emerged. Sarah asked, "Did Chuck want to be a Doctor when he was a kid?" Ellie wiped her tears and shook her head no.

Ellie: "When we were kids and Chuck would hurt himself, I always patched him up."

Sarah: "I see you found you're calling early."

Ellie smiled for a second before she continued.

Ellie: "One year Morgan got a new BMX bike for his birthday. They had seen BMX stunts on TV and got the brilliant idea of trying to see if they could do them too. The two of them built a make shift ramp out of stuff they could find around the garage and house."

Sarah's eyes grew wide and said, "They didn't?"

Ellie: "A couple of hours later Chuck was in the hospital requiring stitches. He also scraped himself up pretty bad. I'm sure you've noticed the scar."

Sarah tried hard not to blush.

Ellie: "Anyway I spent days tending to him, changing his bandages and putting on the ointment they gave him to keep the large scrapes from getting infected. I was practically waiting on him hand and foot; the big baby was milking it for everything he could."

Sarah tried to stifle a giggle as she pictured a young Chuck doing this.

Ellie: "That year when we celebrated Mother's Day, Chuck gave me this fancy play doctor's kit that he knew that I had been wanting. It must have cost him most of what he had saving for a video game that he really wanted."

The tears were streaming down Ellie's face at this point. As Sarah was becoming misty eyed as well, she pulled Ellie into a hug.

Sarah: "You've always meant so much to Chuck."

Ellie: "So do you."

The two separated and Ellie reached for the box of Kleenex and dabbed her eyes. Ellie gave the knowing glance to Sarah

Ellie: "I've seen the way Chuck looks at you and the way you look at him. I know that look."

Sarah blushed again.

Ellie: "Chuck took getting kicked out of Stanford pretty hard but he took his breakup with Jill even harder. Over the years I've had dozens of conversations with him trying to get him back in the game but he was always extremely stubborn. Devon and I have been trying to set up with our friends but he's managed to kill it by going into a monologue about Jill. You are a saint in my book for listening to it and still going out with him."

Sarah: "Actually I'm the one that brought up Ex's first."

A look of shock appeared on Ellie's face as she said, "Are you serious? You two were perfect for each other. Chuck never did tell me how the two of you met."

Sarah: "I just moved here and my cell phone stopped working. I happen to pass the Buy More so I stopped in and Chuck happened to be working at the time. He fixed my phone in a flash and I was about to thank him and be on my way as I had an appointment when a panicked man walks in with his daughter. Apparently he was supposed to have filmed his daughter's ballet recital and the guy didn't realize he still needed to put in a tape. He was panicked as his wife who had been home ill and missed the show was going to kill him. Chuck impressed me by doing what he did next. He took it open himself to stage his own ballet right there in the store, and filmed it for the guy to take home to his wife. I had to leave before he finsihed but I left him my card."

A clearly surprised and interested Ellie asked, "So he called you?" Sarah shook her head no.

Sarah: "I was new in town, first time to the area and I had only been in town for a few days. I didn't know anyone and your brother had made an impression on me so I showed back up the next day."

Ellie rolled her eyes as she said, "He was so oblivious to girls sometimes." Sarah just smiled. Ellie now really excited to hear the rest of the story asked, "So you made the first move?"

Sarah: "I think he was surprised to see me again but I told him I didn't know anyone and asked if he was free to show me around town that evening. Funny, it was Morgan that immediately chimed in that Chuck was available."

What appeared to almost resemble a smile started to appear on Ellie's face as she heard the story.

Ellie: "I remember that afternoon vividly, Chuck came home and said he had some news when Morgan came running in telling us Chuck had a date. I was so proud of him."

Sarah: "That evening we went out, had dinner and went to a local club. I remember thinking how funny, charming and sincere he seemed to be."

For a brief moment Ellie forgot about her pain as she and Sarah were bonding over Chuck.

* * *

Chuck lay in his motel room in the small town that Sarah had directed him to. It was his second night there as he arrived late last night. It was day 3 since he fled his home. He wasn't doing well. He missed his family and friends and it broke his heart putting Ellie through this nightmare. It broke his heart even more that he hadn't realize what a dope he had been not telling Sarah everything he felt while he had the chance. He'd miss his sister's wedding. Chuck longed to make his sister proud of him and he knew she would be proud of him when we could tell her the truth. He had grown up so much in the last couple of years.

That night Chuck drifted off into another fitful sleep. He dreamed about his sister's wedding. Everything was perfect, except half the church pews were empty. Normally the bride's family and friends sit on one side and the groom's side sits on the other. It was the bride's side that was empty. The wedding organist started playing the bridal procession and when it came to Ellie's turn to walk down the aisle, she walked down alone. When she got to the altar the presider asked who gives this woman to be married and there was silence.

Immediately Chuck woke up, he was sweating and his heart beating fast. He was the last family that Ellie had. He turned on the nightstand lamp. He reached for his wallet and stared at the pictures he kept in there. He thought about the nightmare he just had and dream he had in the car about Sarah. He turned TV and found nothing that caught his interest. He turned on the clock radio and scanned the station when he came across the following song:

_I'm gonna live my life_

_Like every days' the last_

_Without a simple goodbye it all goes by so fast_

_And now that you're gone_

_I can't cry heard enough_

_No, I can't cry hard enough_

_For you to hear me now_

_Gonna open my eyes and see for the first time_

_I've let go of you like_

_A child letting go of his kite_

_There it goes, up in the sky_

_There it goes, beyond the clouds_

_For no reason why_

_I can't cry hard enough_

_No, I can't cry hard enough_

_For you to hear me now_

_Gonna look back in vain_

_And see you standing there_

_When all that remains_

_Is just an empty chair_

_And now that you're gone_

_I can't cry hard enough_

_No, I can't cry hard enough_

_For you to hear me now_

_There it goes, up in the sky_

_There it goes, beyond the clouds_

_For no reason why_

_I can't cry hard enough,_

_No I can't cry hard enough_

_For you to hear me now_

Chuck had so badly wanted to say goodbye. What a fool he had been not realizing what he had sooner. His mind drifted. Would he able to lie low successfully for a year? Would he be able to find Sarah? Would his sister be ok? At that moment, Chuck knew what he needed to do.

* * *

Back at the CIA CSI lab in Los Angeles, the remains found in part of the wreckage was removed and testing began on it to be compared to the DNA sample they had of Chuck on file.


End file.
